>> this is the place for news. kron 4. the bay area's news station. >> this is the bay area's news station. kron 4 news weekend starts now. >> the top stories we're following this saturday, december 7th, a korean war veteran from palo alto has been released. he is headed to sfo at this moment. that kid is returning to san francisco for the first time since taking down villains in gotham city. we will tell you what he has been up to. rain is hitting the bay. snow in some areas. we have the weekend forecast straight ahead. our top story this morning, the korean war veteran held in north korea for more than one month has been deported back to

the united states. merrill newman is expected to arrive in, what, a couple of hours, mike. >> reporter: yes. i just confirmed with airport officials that he is expected to arrive around 9:00 on a united airlines flight coming from beijing. his son will be here to greet his father as he finally arrives back in states. he is 85 and from palo alto and has been held by the south korea an government since late october. before he was scheduled to leave, korean authorities detained him and held him for weeks. he is a korean war veteran and televised an apology for his part in the war. he briefly spoke to reporters on his way home at the beijing airport. >> i'm very glad to be on my way home.

i appreciate the -- so i can be on my way. >> how do you feel now? >> i feel good. i feel good. >> what do you want to do first thing. >> go home and see my wife. >> reporter: now, in a statement, north korea an officials say taking into consideration his admittance of the act committed by him, an apology made by him, the above said institution deported him from the country. now, certainly his family is very excited to see him back here in the united states, but his son has called for u.s. officials to focus their attention to get another north korea an back. he has been held there since last year. newman is expected to arrive here at 9:00 this morning. we hope to get a word from him

when he steps back on american soil. >> it has been 40 days since he and his wife have been apart. to see them back together again will be wonderful. >> reporter: absolutely. marty and his son spoke yesterday. we hope to get that reunion on camera this morning. we will bring that to you later today. >> well, our other top story this morning, of course the weather. the bay area has been dealing with a lot of things. we've had a cold snap. now we have rain and snow. janu arasu is here to sort it all out. >> the cold front has slammed through and is pushing south and east. we could be dealing with spotty showers this morning. it's mainly dry. santa cruz mountains is getting light rain. but for the most part, we are expecting dry conditions later today. as for rain totals, just under

.4 in san francisco. pretty low in oakland. over a tenth in san jose. four tenths. santa rosa got almost six tenths of an inch. we will take a look at how the day will shape up later. but for now, we are heading back to marty. >> let's take a look at conditions from yesterday. you can see the scene at candlestick park just a day before the 49ers square off with the seahawks. other areas have also seen their share of wintery weather. there was snow in ukiah and napa. but it wasn't as cold as it was eabat kid is back in san francisco for a fundraiser for the make a wish foundation. let's take a look at video from

last month when san francisco was turned into gag am city. there will be a 5k walk and run and a cable car pulling contest. they are hoping to raise $75,000. 5-year-old miles scott, as you know, is in remission from leukemia and he will be leading the walk today. well, miles' story has inspired many people, including the son of san francisco's police chief. kid monarch clothing is behind the gray bat kid shirts that you see on the screen. he has raised about $30,000 from shirt sales. the initial goal was $5,000. all of the money will go to the make a wish foundation. the demand for the shirt is very i you can get one at www.kidmonarchclothingstore.com the san francisco man killed in a hit and run accident has been

filed as 30-year-old kurt dalin. the 30-year-old was crossing the street what he was hit. the driver responsible has not been tracked down. he was a graduate of the san francisco art institution. you're looking at one of his pieces there. his teacher says he was a young artist full of potential. >> the independent spur thought we so value here. >> he was extremely outgoing, very eager to learn skills and apply the skills that he had which were limited at that point as an under grad and apply them to the art world. >> he graduated from the art institute back in 2010 with a degree in painting. new this morning, a woman is dead after a gun battle erupted outside of a hip hop

concert in vallejo. it happened last night. the shooting was in the parking lot and involved multiple male shooters according to the police. the victim was a 34-year-old woman. she likely got in the middle of the fight but likely not the target. they do not have any suspects right now. about 1,000 volunteers are gearing up for a charity in san jose. it's the big bike, big holiday bike event that provides bicycles to bicycles to about 30 local charities. check out all of the bicycles that they put together. the charities donate the bikes for holiday gifts for families in need. the teens are given 5 hours to build 2400 bicycles. turning wheels spent $300,000 to buy disassembled bikes for volunteers to help build.

about 5,000 families requested a bicycle this year. coming up on kron 4 news weekend, the world is mourning the passing of nelson mandela. world leaders prepare to travel to south africa for the memorial service. we will take a look outside. this time san mateo bridge. clearing skies and not much traffic to speak of. we'll be right back.

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>> south africa preparing for the arrival of many world leaders for the funeral and memorial services for nelson mandela. he died at the age of 95 at his home thursday night. thousands of mourners continue to flock to sites around the country to pay their respects to the leader of the anti- apartheid movement. president obama long with president bush and president clinton will be traveling to south africa to honor nelson mandela. he will be buried on sunday, december 15th. here at home, the reverend

williams tells us about mandela's legacy. >> i woventure to say that he may be one of the most important world leaders, if not the one as the leader of human concern and freedom and liberation which he desperately espoused and made happen in his life time and our lifetime. >> the reverend williams says he will always remember nelson mandela for his courage and conviction. >> and we had that cold front that passed through the bay area. pretty much south of east of us, we will take a look at the cold temperatures that will continue in the bay area and when we can expect the warmup. omg, jack. have you ever checked out these new product ideas people post on your page?

they're kind of amaze. ...ing. yeah - that's where i got the ideas for my new- fajita ranch melt. seasoned chicken with a gooey blend of pepper jack cheese, roasted peppers and onions, on toasted sourdough for just $3.99. is that where you also got the idea for that clock bracelet you always wear? my watch? no...these were invented a long time ago. like in the 80's?

>> now time for the kron 4 tech

report with gabe slate. >> well, today marks the 72nd anniversary of pearl harbor day. that surprise attack on the island of hawaii drew the united states into world war ii. 2500 marines and sailors were killed that day. more than 2,000 others were wounded or injured. there are three known survivors from the attack on pearl harbor. that includes 95-year-old jackson davis, a former state senator from louisiana. 7:16. we want to get you caught up on the weather. we have had quite a night in terms of weather. we had snow and rain and the continuing cold temperatures. here is janu arasu with all of that. >> we are going to feel the cold stick around the bay area for the next few nights. this is showing the system that passed through the area. the main event of the rain was while we were sleeping in the overnight hours. you can see the blue over lake

tahoe. still snowing there. chains are required if you're heading up there. spotty showers out there right now at best. skies have cleared up and we have patchy fog. mostly clear skies. it will be cold at the tail end of the system. breezy conditions today. it looks like we have another round of freezing nights in store for us. a freeze warning remains in effect until 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. that's pretty much for the entire bay area, ex isn't for san francisco. temperatures in the 30s along the coast. hazardous to outdoor pets and plants and exposed pipes. the hypothermia is increased as well. 14 degrees warmer in vallejo. so this is where temperatures are sitting. it is freezing in napa at 32.

36 in: only getting to 46 in upper. upper 40s in san francisco. redwood city. half moon bay at 48. and we're looking at upper 40s in the south bay as well. now, taking a look at 7-day around the bay. temperatures into the 40s and 50s. take a look at the overnight lows. we have several cold nights in store for us. a slight chance of showers on thursday. and it looks like temperatures will warm up just a bit as we wrap up your work week. >> back to the news this morning. the metro north railroad has a deadline of tuesday to identify where its tracks have major speed changes. this is under an emergency order set down by federal authorities in the wake of the deadly train derailment last week. it requires the railroad to put

extra operators onlines like in the bronx where the train went off the rail. it hit a curve at 82 miles per hour, nearly 3 times the posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour. a bizarre story this morning from pennsylvania involving a newly wed couple. police say that the pair lured a man to his death because they wanted to kill someone together. the 22-year-old elliot barber was charged friday night in the death of a 42-year-old man. barber's 18-year-old wife miranda was charged on wednesday. investigators say that elliot barber told them that the couple planned the killing. he is accused of choking the man last month with a cord while miranda stabbed him. the couple is expected in court next to face charges. a house contaminated with methamphetamine is forcing three college students in washington state to relocate. the western washington

university students were renting the house in bellingham, about 30 miles north of seattle. the students began feeling dizzy and lethargic. when they tested the house, they found extremely high levels of methamphetamine contamination. the u.s. unemployment rate fell to 7%. the strengthening economy is good news for the president. but he may not be getting much credit for this because so many working americans are not feeling any improvement. >> reporter: it's more proof that the u.s. economy is heating up. according to the latest job reports, 203,000 people found work in november and the unemployment rate dropped sharply to 7%, the lowest level in five years. add to that that the economy grew in the third quarter faster than it was initially thought and it's no wonder that the white house wants monther. but analysts warn this warming

trend is leaving too many americans out in the cold. >> if you're wealthy, you're feeling it. if you're in the middle or the lower end of the economic spectrum, you aren't. >> reporter: just look at the numbers. while the economy has recovered millions of lost jobs since the great recession, 6 in 10 americans say things are going badly in the country that's because with this recovery, there are two americas, wall street is booming, ending the week on a strong note. even as fast food workers were marching in the streets for higher wages. >> i think it's bad. i deserve more. >> reporter: president obama acknowledged that fixing that disparity is a top priority. >> this is the defining challenge of our time. >> reporter: boarishes say that the president should look in the mirror. >> our country has fallen into a new normal. slow economic growth, high unemployment, stagnant wages. >> people on the streets protesting because they want a higher minimum wage but they're

not feeling it. >> the president has long supported policies and continues to support policies that go right at this issue. that work is not 3u5u/tdone. >> that was jim acosta reporting. there was one tiny glimmer of hope for bipartisanship on the economy, when john boehner agreed to reconsider the unemployment benefits. a special playground is being built near the water's edge in bridgeport, connecticut. they are building it in honor of josephine, one of the children killed last december in the shooting at sandy hook elementary. >> the theme for the playground, pink and purple because those are her favorite colors. she loved the beach and the water. that's why we're here. >> the project is building 26 playgrounds in connecticut, new

york and new jersey. each playground will honor one of the children killed in the s connecticut. coming up on kron 4 news weekend, there's a new holiday light show debuting in the bay area. we will take you there after the break. beautiful, beautiful view at the east bay this morning. it looks chilly though. we will have the forecast in just a bit. [ laughter ]

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>> now, time for the kron 4 tech report with gabe slate. >> i'm inside the west field center mall in san francisco where they have launched a new high tech 3d light show called nutcracker under the dome. the west field center's elegant dome originally built in 1908 is quite something when it's transformed into a state of the art surround sound theater. ♪[music]

this show, nutcracker under the dome is inspired by the san francisco ballet. it has actual footage of the san francisco ballet dancers as part of the light spectacular. san francisco bay's creative technology studio conceived and created nutcracker under the dome using the latest in projection mapping technology. it took three days of filming with 16 san francisco ballet dancers to capture the footage for the show. the team then clocked in over 1,000 hours of intricate post production and animation to transform the wall footage that was captured in slow motion at 90 frames per second. it's really special. it's one of those techy only in

san francisco shows. it's 3d but you don't need glasses. my video camera can't capture the image i was saying. it starts 5:00 p.m. nightly now through december 31st. it's a unique attraction to get you in the holiday spirit and it's free. can't beat that. gabe slate, kron 4 news. >> gets you in the mood. this is a look at mount hamilton at 4300 feet. you see snow there on the slopes of the mountain. it is 33 degrees up there right now. we'll be right back.

>> and we have an update for you on our top story this morning. the u.s. state department says tess welcoming north korea's decision to release a palo alto resident. newman was allowed to leave the country after being held for over a month. north korea says that newman, a korean war veteran apologized

for his crimes during the war. >> i'm very glad to be on my way home. i >> the state department also urged north korea to release another american currently being held, kenneth bay. he has been held there for over a year. he is a missionary and tour operator. his son says that he had no communication with his father since he was detained until now. they are happy to have newman home. >> this is a great moment for us as a family. it will be even better when we have a chance to be back together in two hours. >> stay wuss here on kron 4. we continue to cover this story. and we will have a live report from sfo coming up at 8:00. and to get you the latest, log

on to kron4.com and also check our facebook and twitter pages. if you're on the go, make sure that you have our mobile app where you get the latest information. download it from the app store or google play. we want to get you caught up on the weather because it has been a big topic of conversation here and the bay for the last several days. here to get us caught up is janu arasu. >> the system that came through the area yesterday has pushed south and east. but you see tahoe still getting slammed with snow there. they have a winter storm warning in effect for the next 19 hours. they're expecting anywhere from one to two feet above 7,000 feet. 6 to 12 inches at eastern shore, making for white-out conditions. chains are required on highway 50 and i-80 at this time. as for the bay area, you can see we're dealing with some

spotty showers along the santa cruz mountains and the peninsula but mainly dry out there. we have another cold night in store for us. a freeze warning remains in effect for the entire bay area except for the city of san francisco. that remains in effect until sunday 9:00 a.m. so long durations of below freezing temperatures. hazardous to exposed pipes, outdoor pets and hypo hypothermia is increased. we will take a look at the 7- day around the bay coming up in a bit. >> that cold weather that we have had is uncomfortable for us but it can be deadly for the most vulnerable. that would be seniors and the homeless. dan reports from the south bay where the cold weather is being blamed for the death of four homeless people. >> reporter: those without a home over their head were lining up early in the afternoon to get a spot for the night. and for good reason. in the last eight days, four

homeless men in their 40s and 50s have died out in the cold. three in the last 48 hours. >> hypothermia played a role in all of the deaths. >> to lose this many folks is really painful and inexcusable. i'm hoping that we can not lose any folks this weekend. >> reporter: they operate the three cold weather shelters in santa clarita counties. the ones in san jose and sunnyvale will be open 24 hours a day. and those two plus the one in gilroy will serve more homeless people. >> our goal is to take 250 people at the reception center, 225 in sunnyvale and 175 in gilroy. >> reporter: still she says it won't be enough. >> there's over 7,000 people that are homeless on any night in this community. there's no way that will be

enough. but we have to make sure that we ask people to come inside, which is why the outreach efforts are critical. >> reporter: now, typically outreach workers go out and try to get homeless people into shelters monday through friday. that will continue this weekend. in addition, they will be bringing in volunteers to also reach out to the homeless so they can cover more ground. in san jose, dan herman, kron 4 news. >> a state agency is getting involved in an investigation as to why a bart train malfunctioned earlier this week. a bart spokesperson says the california public utilities commission is part of a probe on that disabled train. the train was traveling from pittsburgh bay point to san francisco on wednesday when an electrical short caused the emergency brakes to activate. the smoke from the brakes sent at least nine people to the hospital. hundreds were more stranded on the train. bart says that the cpuc gets

involved whenever more than two people require medical attention after a transportation incident. well, six days have come and gone with know sign of the ceo and his family. friday's search was suspended because of weather. that search will resume when the weather clears. >> she is getting increasingly discouraged as time goes on because of the weather up there. it's just been freezing nights and it's challenging to keep the hopes alive. but miracles do happen. so we're guardedly hopeful, i guess. >> dale smith is an experienced pilot who made the trip from san jose to utah many times. he does it to visit a daughter

battling cancer. a amber watch is still in effect this morning. it was issued thursday night by the chp but you won't see any signs lit up because they don't have a license plate number for the suspected car. he was last seen driving a ford green -- a green ford escape. police say the two may be passing through the bay area headed to mexico. 7:37 this saturday morning. coming up on kron 4 this weekend, candlestick park has been the place for many big nfl games. we will take a look at the next grudge match. let's go ahead and take a look outside. you can see a good view of mount hamilton dusted with some light snow. we'll be right back.

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>> we're back on kron 4 news weekend. the big game between the niners and the seahawks kicks off tomorrow afternoon. there are just two games left at candlestick. only the rivalry but what is left for the stick. >> reporter: 49ers, seahawks, this weekend big rivalry game and second to last regular season game at candlestick park. >> i don't like your team colors, your jerseys, helmets or stadium. >> it's not doing anything against us. >> reporter: the fansare chimeingin. as they do, ticket prices are soaring. about 300 for the cheapest seat in the house. this isn't just a game, it's history in the making. even rap star drake is chiming in. >> this is jersey drake, the

official 12th man. it's championship week. i want to you know, seahawks, we have to beat the niners. you know what time it is. >> reporter: there are just 90 minutes of regular season football left at stick. niners will likely take the option to leave after the season meaning that they will have until may to exit their offices. nine to 12 months from right now. soccer games, sporting events, charity runs and even a good- bye concert could happen at candlestick before that time, but it's likely this will be the most intense matchup left. niners versus seahawks sunday afternoon. >> now we have a lot more to go. we have to work. that's what we believe in. all right. who's got it better than us? >> nobody. >> reporter: jr stone, kron 4 news. >> counting down the minutes. coming up on kron 4 news weekend, is stan finds people

behaving badly in front of a fire station. we'll hear from stanley when we come back.

>> here is stanley roberts who found some people behaving badly. >> reporter: in front of just about every fire station in san francisco, stenciled on the ground in big words are the words keep clear. you can't see it here because it's covered by all of these vehicles. that area is called a fire lane. and stopping in it slows down the response time for firefighters and par medics when they need to respond to an emergency. this rig is trying to respond to an emergency. but it's delayed because drivers are blocking the fire lane. this car was not only in the fire lane, but look as it passes the fire truck with the lights on in the bike lane.

it can sometimes take the fire truck two minutes to leave the station. like this driver in the volvo. let's have a chat with him. >> how are you doing? roll your window down. do you see that fire station? >> yeah, get him stanley. >> you know that you're not supposed to stop here. do you see the sign on the ground that says keep clear. >> yeah. >> what if there's a fire. >> how are you doing? >> you're on your cell phone. >> huh? >> you're on the cell phone but you're other blocking the fire station. >> these signs say keep clear. did you see them? >> yeah, i did. >> it is what it is, man. >> holiday traffic. >> must be some new holiday and i missed it. fire station one is known as the alley cat because it used to be held in an alley now it's held captive by inattentive drivers. the fine for blocking the fire station is $35. with all of the court fees and add-ons, it balloons up to $238. in san francisco, stanley roberts, kron 4 news.

>> all right. it's 7:47. let's get you caught up on the weather forecast. we had a lot of twists and turns over the past couple of days. here is janu to straighten it out for us. >> things are looking quiet on storm tracker 4. still spotty showers and snow flurries in mount hamilton this morning. for the most part, the system has pushed out of the area. here are the rainfall totals for the past 12 hours. under .3 in oakland. just over .1 in san jose. under .4 in livermore. just close to half an inch in concord. over that in santa rosa. impress he have for how short the system was. this is the view from mount tam cam. we are expecting mostly sunny skies. another cool day for us. it will be windy out there for the tail end of the system. as we look ahead, we have a few more freezing nights in store

for us. but afternoon temperatures will moderate. it looks like they will get back into the 50s, which is nicer than we've been used to. a warmer start compared to a couple hours ago. 12 degrees warmer in concord. and 13 degrees warmer in half moon bay. napa, if you're heading out the door there, 32. 35 in santa rosa. 33 in san francisco. 33 in concord. and 41 in san jose. another round of chilly temperatures only getting to the upper 40s here in san francisco. mid-40s for santa rosa, napa, vallejo, concord topping out at 45. and fremont only getting to 46. temperatures are slowly going to warm up as we head into the work week. but we still have several nights of chilly conditions below freezing for the inland spots. near that for the bay. we have a slight chance of showers in the forecast on thursday. but it looks like as we wrap up the work week, temperatures will warm up just a little bit.

marty. >> thank you, janu. speaking of cold, the warriors were very cold last night. they were looking for their third straight win in houston taking on dwight howard and the rockets. they got off to a bad start and it didn't get better from there. into the 1st quarter, the rockets leading the warriors 23- 10. in the 2nd, clay thompson makes a turnover and james harden for that dunk that you saw there. at halftime, it was 51-28. in the 3rd quarter, seth curry with a turnover and a bad pass. and it got worse and worse and worse for golden state. 65-37 at one point in the game. there would be no come back for the warriors. the final 105-83, the rockets. on the ice, the sharks hadn't lost back to back games in regulation time all season until last night. in raleigh, north carolina, sharks taking on the hurricanes.

in the 3rd period it was 3-2 hurricanes. justin brawn scoring on the slap shot to tie it 3-3 with 10 and a half minutes left. the canes would score twice more making the final 5-3. the sharks travel to minnesota to take on the wild tomorrow. and you should know this if you're heading to the stick tomorrow. police will be keeping fans on their best behavior tomorrow. undercover officers will be roaming throughout the crowd and wearing seahawks gear. that soldout game kicks off tomorrow at candlestick. fans should avoid confrontation with fans from the opposing team because a seattle fan could very well be a san francisco police officer. a rematch of their pack 12 opener against arizona state. a 42-28 cardinal blowout. but this time the game is in tempe, not at stanford where

the sun devils haven't lost this year. they have a perfect 7-0 record. arizona state is a three-point favor over the cardinals who are trike to make it back to back rose bowls for the first time since 1971. kickoff is at 4:45 in tempe. well, still ahead for you on kron 4 weekend, the national christmas tree lights up washington, d.c. we're going to take a look next. let's go ahead and take a look outside. bay bridge where we have chilly conditions as janu said, but it should be warmer compared to yesterday. we'll be right back.

>> in this week's entertainment preview, celebrate the holidays with the family and the san francisco symphony. the book of mormon hits the stage. san francisco symphony deck the hall has become an annual tradition. it features holiday favorites performed by the san francisco symphony along with guests

presenting music and dance tailored for children. it includes a post concert party went containment, arts and crafts and refreshments. there is one at 11:00 in the morning and 3:00 in the afternoon at the davis symphony hall. proceeds support the symphony's community day, a free holiday concert for underserved san francisco children. ♪[music] ♪ santa claus is coming to town. ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ >> a sequel to the hit musical is now playing at half moon day. the theaters' winter wonder picks up the knacks 1968. the gals are entertaining at a holiday party that is in danger going down the chimney after santa goes missing. it features rocking around the christmas tree, santa baby and jingle bell rock. it's a fun show. it is running now through

december 20th at the coastal theater in half moon bay. tickets start at 27 bucks. ♪[music] ♪ i believe that god has a plan for all of us ♪ ♪ >> it's been called one of the funniest musicals of all time not. the book of mormon. it tells the story of two mormon missionaries that go to africa. this is not for little kids. it is playing now through january 19th. tickets are between 60 and $120 but many shows are and are selling out fast. the book of mormon will conduct a lottery before every performance at the box office for front row seats, 29 bucks each. go to the box office two and a half hours prior to each performance to enter that

lottery. that's the arts and entertainment preview. kron 4 news. >> three, two, one. >> well, the big national christmas tree in washington is now lit up as you can see. president obama pushing the button. first lady and their daughters were there to enjoy the festivities as well. hundreds of people braving the cold, wet weather in washington to see it all happening. and performers included aretha franklin and mariah carey. we want to get you in the holiday spirit. it's called amazing holiday lights. it's a one-hour show that takes you live around the bay area, bringing you a look at the light displays. the amazing holiday lights is next friday night at 9:00 p.m. and we'll be right back. omg, jack. have you ever checked out these new product ideas people post on your page?

they're kind of amaze. ...ing. yeah - that's where i got the ideas for my new- fajita ranch melt. seasoned chicken with a gooey blend of pepper jack cheese,

roasted peppers and onions, on toasted sourdough for just $3.99. is that where you also got the idea for that clock bracelet you always wear? my watch? no...these were invented a long time ago. like in the 80's?

>> this is the bay area's news station. kron 4 news weekend starts now. >> and the top stories we're following this saturday, december 7th, a korean war veteran from palo alto held in south korea ais returning home today. bat kid is returning to san francisco after taking down villains in gag am city. we will explain what he is up to this time around. now rain is hitting parts of the bay. snow falling in some areas as well. we have the weekend forecast coming up in seconds. good morning. thank you for joining us. the korean war veteran held for over a month is returning back to the bay area. merrill newman is expected to

arrive in just been an hour. >> reporter: i confirmed with airport officials that he is expected to arrive here just before 9:00 on the united airlines flight coming from beijing. his son is among many here to greet him. merrill newman is 85 and from palo alto but has been held by the north korea an government since october when he visited there on a private tour. authorities took him off a plane and detained him and held him for weeks. several weeks ago he offered a televised apology for his actions in the korean war which included training anticomu anything further gorillas. some believe the apology was coerced. north korea decided to deport newman and on his way home, he briefly woke with reporters at the beijing airport. >> i'm happy to be on my way

home. >> how do you feel now? >> i feel great. i feel good. >> what do you want to do first thing? >> first thing, what would you like to do. >> go home and see my wife. >> reporter: perhaps coincidentally his release comes at the same too that joe biden was visiting south korea abut they insist that had nothing to do with his release. he is expected here at sfo in about an hour. if he takes a few minutes to chat with us, we will bring you what he has to say on kron 4 news at 8:00. >> thank you, mike. merrill newman looks like he's in good shape considering what he's been going through for the past few weeks. >> reporter: he was smiling and understandably very excited to get back to the united states. i'm sure he will be smiling when he gets off the plane. >> it will be quite a reunion. let's go to the other top story. that of course is the weather

as the bay area continues to experience this cold snap. here is janu arasu to tell us all about it. >> good morning, marty. we're taking a look at satellite and radar. the system has moved south and east out of the area. we are still seeing know in tahoe. as for storm tracker, you can see spotty showers out there this morning. but for the main part, we are dry. some spotty snow flurries as well in the higher elevations. plenty of sunshine later today. as for temperatures, it's another chilly start, just not as chilly as yesterday morning. still freezing in napa at 32. 34 in santa rosa. upper 30s currently in navado. about mid-40s at half moon bay. we will take a look at how the day will shape up and when we can expect warmer temperatures. but for know we will go over to marty. >> we will look at conditions on friday. you can see conditions at

candlestick on the left of your screen, a day before the 49ers square off with the seahawks. other areas have seen their share of wintery weather. there was snow in napa. today is not as cold as it was earlier in the week. happening this morning, the little boy known as bat kid is back in san francisco for a fundraiser for the make a wish foundation. let's take a look at the footage from last month. the event is called brave the bay. there will be a 5k walk and run and a cable car pulling contest. organizers are hoping to raise about $75,000. 5-year-old miles scott is now in remission from leukemia and will be leading the walk. miles' story has inspired so many people, including san francisco police chief's son.

the initial goal was $5,000 by raising the shirts. he has made $30,000. the demand has been by high for the shirt. you can get one at kid monarch clothing. , other news this morning, san francisco man hit in the -- killed in a hit and run accident on thursday has been identified as kurt dalin. he was killed in an accident in the mission district on the corner of valencia and clinton park. it happened about 2:45 wednesday morning. he was walking across the street when he was hit. the driver has not been tracked down. he was a graduate of the san francisco art institute. one of his professors said he was a young artist full of potential. >> the spirit that we so value here. kurt was extremely outgoing, very eager to apply the skills that he had which were limited

at that point as an undergrad. >> he graduated from the san francisco art institute in 2010 with a degree in painting. police are looking for a blue or black four-door sedan with possible damage to its front passenger side. new this morning, a woman is dead after a gun battle erupted outside of a hip hop concert in vallejo. it happened late last night at the cultural center. the shooting itself was in the parking lot of the center and involved multiple men shooting -- male shooters. the victim was 34-year-old woman who police say likely got in the middle of the fight but not a target. the concert ended early because of the shooting and police do not have any suspects at this time. in the south bay, about 1,000 volunteers gearing up to build bike fors a charity in san jose. it's the ninth year of the build a bike holiday event which provides bicycles to about 30 local charities. take a look at the bikes there

from video from last year's event. the charities then donate the bikes to families in need. the teams are given just five hours to build 2400 bicycles. the nonprofit organization called turning wheels spent $300,000 to buy disassembled bikes for volunteers to help build. the charity says about 5,000 families requested a bike this year. still ahead on kron 4 news this weekend, let's say high to jan. >> reporter: they have giant gingerbread and so much more. and we will celebrate.

>> south africa is preparing for the arrival of many world leaders for the funeral and memorial services for nelson mandela. mandela died at his home at the age of 95 thursday night. thousands of mourners continue to flock to sites around the country to pay their respects to the leader of the anti-

apartheid movement. president obama long with presidents george w. bush and bill clinton will be among those traveling to south africa to honor mandela. he will be buried in his hometown on sunday, december 15th. in their first statements since his death, nelson mandela's family says, quote, they have lost a great man, a son of the soil. it goes on to say, we have lost a great man, a son of the soil whose greatness in our family was in the simplicity of his nature in our midst. a caring family leader who made time for all and on that score we will miss him dearly. straight ahead on kron 4 news weekend, many of you are hosting in-laws or family members for the holidays. we will tell you great places to go for entertainment that you may not have thought about. we will have that when we come back.

>> welcome back to kron 4 news weekend. the time right now is 8:15. taking a like at storm tracker 4. the bulk of the system has

pushed out of the area. we are dealing with pop-up showers and snow flurries in the higher elevations. for the most part, it is out of our area. just under .4 in san francisco. quarter of an inch in oakland. .1 in san jose. .4 in livermore. santa rosa, over half an inch there. taking a look at the rest of the day. mostly sunny conditions. it will be cool and windy. we will get the winds from the tail end of the system. it looks like we still have several freezing nights in store for us. as for the afternoon, temperatures will warm a little bit as we head into your work week. now, temperatures are warmer than 24 hours ago. 13 degrees warmer in vallejo. 6 degrees warmer in half moon bay. this is where your temperatures are sitting. napa out of the freezing mark. just above it. 33 there. 34 in santa rosa. 34 currently in san francisco. mid-40s in half moon bay.

33 in oakland and low 40s through concord and livermore. we have another chilly day in store for us. jackets required this afternoon. 44 in santa rosa. 46 for napa, vallejo, fairfield. 46 in hayward. upper 40s for san francisco and about 47 degrees expected in san jose. now taking a look at your 7-day around the bay, it's showing us that although temperatures will warm up slightly into the work week, we do have several cool nights in store for us. temperatures dropping down below freezing. upper 20s in the inland spots. near that near the bay. but temperatures will warm up as we wrap up the work week. marty. >> thank you, janu. you might be looking for of some very unique experiences. and to help us find some of those is john tower from yelp. thank you for joining us. happy holidays.

>> happy holidays. >> maybe you have an uncle or brother visiting and you want to do a guy thing. >> exactly. >> what do you do. >> people's barber. it's in tenderloin. it's a mass masculine. we're talking about mini facials. >> it's a step back. >> yes. they value service. when you go to yelp, you find pro tips where you can walk in or they take reservations as well. >> let's move on to something for maybe the mother-in-law or aunt visiting. >> something terrific to think about is the urban bizarre which is in inner sunset. what is unique is if you're shopping local, it is a small boutique. but they have a do it yourself succulent garden. >> that is fantastic. what type of plants?

>> you have them all out on the back patio. >> that is a wonderful gift. >> it's going to live a little longer than just that day. >> i think you're right. exactly. now you want to have a quick bite or something to drink. but something different. where would you go. >> the cheese school in san francisco is fascinating. yelpers are talking about how there's classes four days a week. you can schedule it throughout the holidays, all the way up to the holidays. >> classes for what? >> how to make cheese. even cheese class 101 where you're learning about the different types of cheeses. on new year's eve they are doing a wine and cheese pairing. >> what a great idea. how much are the classes? >> i think they're between 25 to $50. that again is the cheese school. >> yes. you get to eat all of the cheese. >> and i see you have some

beautiful photos there. >> yes. >> let's say you're heading to the east bay and you want that maybe somewhat different type of plastic surgeonis to stop into, maybe not a whole lot of people know about it. >> yeah. >> what would you recommend? >> very small little community. >> yeah. >> along the shoreline there. >> yes. in the east bay. >> if you can tolerate your minute car trip. >> to get there. >> yes. a big tip is making reservations. >> good idea. >> make them directly from the mobile app. >> uh-huh. >> right now. they're only open thursday to sunday so make sure that you make the reservations and then head out there. >> it's basically open just on the weekends. >> yes. >> i read on yelp that a big pro tip is to stay at that burlington hotel right next store. >> which has a shady history. >> yeah. i read that each hotel room is named after a former brothel

employee. >> oh, okay. so an additional point of interest, i guess. >> exactly. >> all right. tell us more about the -- about the yelp app. >> well, the yelp mobile app is the perfect place to go to when you're on the go. when you're looking around town, let's say that your in- laws get in late and they're hungry. >> where do we go. >> exactly. >> thank you very much for these tips. these are definitely places that are dave. >> are -- these places are different. >> right. the hard to find places can be found on yelp. >> thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back. [ female announcer ] for those who love sweets

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>> and today marks the 72nd anniversary of pearl harbor day, that surprise attack on # the island of hawaii drew the united states into world war ii. roughly 2500 u.s. marines, sailors and solders were killed that day. more than 2,000 others were injured. there are three known survivors

from pearl harbor day that. includes 95-year-old jackson davis a senator from louisiana. a very special playground is being built near the water's edge in bridgeport, connecticut. volunteers with the sandy ground project are building it in honor of josephine, one the children killed last december in the shooting at sandy hook elementary school. the fire department describes the design behind the tribute. >> the theme for the playground, pink, purple because those are they are favorite colors. she loved the beach and the water, so that's why we're here. >> the sandy ground project is building 26 playgrounds in connecticut, new york and new jersey. each playground will honor one of the children killed on december 14th in that mass shooting in newtown, connecticut. the metro north railroad has a tuesday deadline to identify where its tracks have major speed changes. this is under an emergency order set down by federal authorities in the wake of that

deadly train derailment last sunday. the federal railroad administration requires that the railroads put extra operators onlines like the one in the bronx where the train went off the track. it hit a curve at 82 miles per hour and derailed. that's nearly three times the posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour. bizarre story from pennsylvania this morning involving a newly wed couple. police say that the pair lured a man to his death because they wanted to kill someone together. police say the 22-year-old elliot barber was charged friday night in the death of a 42-year-old man. his 18-year-old wife miranda was charged on tuesday. elliot barber told them that the couple planned the killing. he is accused of choking the victim with a cord while the wife stabbed him. the couple is expected in court to face charges early next week. much more ahead on kron 4 news weekend. let's go ahead and take a live

look outside. and we can see that we have a clear day ahead of us. plenty of sunshine as well. but cool temperatures. janu has the forecast in just a few moments. we'll be right back.

>> and now an update on the top story this morning. the state department says it is welcoming north korea's decision to release newman after being held for more than a month. newman a korean war veteran alleged for alleged crimes during the war. >> i'm very glad to be on my way home.

>> well, the state department also urged north korea to release another american, kenneth bay. he's been held in the country for over a year. bay is a korean missionary and tour operator. merrill's son jeff said he had no communication with his father from the time he was detained knowledge. his family has been worried about his health and understandably they are happy to have him home. >> this is a great moment for us as a family. and it will be even better when we have a chance to be back together in a few hours. >> and stay with us here on kron 4. we continue to cover the story of merrill newman. we have a live report from sfo coming up on the hour. to get the latest, log on to kron4.com. you can also check our facebook and twitter pages. if you're on the go, we have the latest on our mobile app.

our other top story has been the ongoing weather in the bay area. we've gone from rain and snow to now a warmup, janu? >> well, not quite yet. >> oh, all right. >> we are still expecting chilly conditions. but it is slightly warmer than yesterday. we need it. i've been freezing. satellite and radar is showing that the system has moved south and east. we are still dealing with snow in tahoe this morning. a winter storm warning remains in effect there. cold air, gusty winds. moderate to heavy snowfall expected. about 6 to 12 inches at eastern shore. it will be hazardous driving conditions, white off out conditions. thins are required on i-50 and i of 80 this morning. as for storm tracker 4, it's not lit like up like it was last night. mainly dry conditions in the bay area. we will still dealing with

spotty showers as well as snow flurries in the higher elevations such as mount tam. we have the free warning still in effect. still not getting rid of the cold temperatures. the freeze warning remains in effect until tomorrow 9:00 a.m. mid to low 20s in the inland spots. long durations of below freezing temperatures could cause problems for outdoor pets and outdoor plants and exposed pipes and an increase in hypothermia. we will take a look of what we can expect the warmup. but for now we will go back to marty. >> the cold can be deadly for the most vulnerable. those would be the senior and the homeless. dan reports from the south bay where the cold weather is being blamed for the death of four homeless people. >> reporter: those without a home over their head were lining up early in the afternoon to get a spot for the

night. for good reason. in the last agents days, four homeless men in their 40s and 50s have died out in the cold, three in the last 48 hours. >> hypothermia played a role in all of the deaths. >> reporter: the coroner's office says that three were living in homeless encampments, one in an open garage. >> to lose this many folks is painful and inexcusable. i'm hoping that we can not lose any more this weekend. >> reporter: jenny runs life builders which operates the three cold weather shelters in santa clarita county. those nhl sunnyvale and gilroy will add more beds to serve more homeless people. >> we want to take 250, 275 in sunnyvale and 175 in gilroy. >> reporter: still she says it won't be enough. >> there's no way that that

will be enough but we still have to be sure that we ask people to come inside, which is why the other outretch efforts are extremely critical. we used blankets, tarps, other preventative measures for those out in the weather. >> reporter: typically outreach workers try to get people into that will continue this weekend. in addition, they will be bringing in volunteers to also reach out to the homeless so they can cover more ground. in san jose, dan kerman, kron 4 news. >> a state agency is getting involved in determining why a bart train malfunctioned earlier this week. the california public utility commission is part of the probe into the disabled train. the train was traveling from pittsburgh to san francisco on wednesday when an electrical short caused the emergency brakes to suddenly activate. the smoke from the brakes sent at least nine people to the

hospital. hundreds more were stranded on the train. the cpuc gets involved whenever two or more people need help after an incident. six days have gone by since the disappearance of dale smith and his family. it is feared that their plane went down on sunday. bad weather around the yellow pine area in idaho forced friday's search to be suspended. that search will resume when the weather clears. a family friend has been in touch with smith's wife janice. >> she is getting increasingly discouraged as time goes on because of the weather up there. it's just been freezing nights and it's a challenge to keep the hopes alive. but miracles do happen. so we're -- we're guardedly hopeful, i guess. >> dale smith is an experienced pilot who has made the trip from san jose to idaho many

times. he does it to visit a daughter battling with cancer. an amber alert is still in effect this morning. you won't see any highway signs lit up because they don't have a license plate number for the suspect's car. 19-year-old flores is suspected of abducting elizabeth romero on wednesday from washington. he was last seen a 2001 to 2003 hunter green ford escape with temporary washington registration. chp says that the vehicle is believe today have a roof rack and custom wheels. they are believed to be headed for mexico. police in san francisco have arrested a men for throwing two cats into the bay and killing them. he is accused of grabbing a woman's belongings. that included a carrier with

two cats inside. he has booked into the san francisco jail and faces animal cruelty charges. coming up, candlestick park has been the scene for many big games, including one tomorrow. we will look ahead to the 49ers and seahawks grudge match. here is a look at the bay bridge. we'll be right back.

>> well, of course the big game between the niners and the seahawks kicks off tomorrow afternoon. including tomorrow's game there are now just two games left at candlestick. jr stone has more on not only the rivalry but what is left for the stick. >> reporter: 49ers, seahawks this weekend big rivalry game and second to last regular season game at candlestick park. >> i don't like your team colors, your jersey, helmets or stadium. >> it's not doing anything

against us. >> [censor] >> the fans are chiming in. as they do, ticket prices are soaring. about $300 for the cheapest seat in the house. this isn't just a game, it's history in the making. even rap star drake is chimeingin. >> this is jersey drake, the official 12th man. you know what it is. it is championship week. i want to say go seahawks. beat the niners. you know what time it is. >> reporter: there are just 90 minutes of regular season football left at the stick, home to the niners for the past years. they will likely take the option to leave after the season, meaning they have until may to exit their offices. demolition would likely happen in fall of 2014. nine to 12 months from right now. soccer games, sporting events, charity runs and even a good- bye concert could happen at candlestick before that time but it's likely this will be the most intense matchup left.

niners versus seahawks sunday afternoon. >> we have to work. that's what we believe in. you know it. who's got it better than us? >> nobody. >> reporter: jr stone, kron 4 news. >> as the countdown continues, police are taking an extra step to keep tans on their best behavior. undercover officers will be roaming throughout the crowd and wearing seahawks gear. that soldout game kicks off at $125 at the stick. fans should avoid confrontations with fans with the opposing team because a seattle fan could very well be a san francisco police officer. yes, remember that sound? researchers say the official noise makers for next year's world cup in brazil will be significantly quieter than what

you're hearing now. there's a new instrument called the -- and it creates similar sounds to normal conversation. so researchers in brazil say it would 2,000 of those rattles to emit the noise of those. the noise was so loud that players on the field had a hard time communicating and many people watching on tv initially thought there was something wrong with their tv set. it was just the horns. let's go ahead and check in with jan. >> i don't know. that was good. you will need more than noise makers when it comes to fresh wonderful gingerbread and the biggest gingerbread mansion that you've ever seen. that and so much more with tom klein. so come on back.

>> welcome back to kron 4 news weekend. taking a like at storm tracker

4. dry conditions. dealing with spotty showers out there and snow flurries in the higher elevations but the system has mostly pushed out of our area. .4 in san francisco. .3 in oakland. over .1 in san jose. .4 in livermore. almost half an inch for concord. and above that for santa rosa. starting off the morning with spotty showers and snow flurries. some patchy fog but mostly sunny skies later today. it will be cool. it will be windy. as we take a look ahead, we have the continued freezing overnight temperatures. but the afternoon highs will be a little milder. we're talking 50. not that much warmer. taking a look at temperatures right now. 37 in napa. 43 in oakland and fremont. and upper 30s for those of you in daly city. it's going to be another chilly

day for the bay area. only 40 for downtown san francisco. napa 45 degrees the high. upper 40s for those of you in the south bay. now, continued freezing temperatures for our overnight lows. the freeze warning remains in effect for the bay area except for san francisco until 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. it causes hazardous conditions for outdoor pets and pipes. around the bay, afternoon highs will gradually warm. take a look the lows. 30s for the bay. by mid week, temperatures are gradually going to warm. buff we have a slight chance of showers in the forecast for thursday. >> thank you, janu. it's the fairmont hotel. there it is.

so exciting for people of all ages, for children, adults, pets. that is the best play there in the bay area when it comes to a free visit to get in the holiday spirit. there is the fabulous -- i don't know how tall it is. tom klein will tell us. it's just gigantic. they also have a doggy house. you have a fabulous mansion made of gingerbread and a doggy house. please welcome our favorite guy running hotels anywhere, that would be tom klein. hi, tom. >> hi, jan. it's great to be back. i can only get it to 23 feet. >> 23 feet. >> yeah. the chef thinks i'm going to put a hole in the ceiling to make it bigger but we will keep it at 23 feet. >> you can't touch that historic building. >> no. we wouldn't think it was. >> the san francisco fairmont

is so historic and you kept the lobby the same way as it was. i remember mama and the hotel series. all of these shot at the fairmont. >> that's right. it's important to keep the history alive so we blend the new with the old. i like to call it understated elegance. we do that in every area. guests come in to look at the gingerbread house. i can go wider, not higher. every year we make it different for our guests. this year, you can -- >> there we go. yeah. >> you can actually eat this. >> fresh gingerbread. >> uh-huh. >> it's not something that you keep from last year. >> every year it's fresh. there's about 7600 gingerbread blocks that go on the house. it takes about three weeks to build. >> you have a hands on gm so i can actually imagine you putting these together with the candy icing and all of that. >> we have fun, let me put it that way. you also have a doggy din

engineer bread house. we are pet friendly. why not do a nice gingerbread dog house. it's not the stupidest idea. but the puppies and dogs love to come in and get their photograph taken with the gingerbread house. it's terrific. see the smiling faces. >> the perfect place if you have dog. i've stayed there with our dogs. you go across to the wonderful doggy park. >> that's right. >> you also have honey that is made organically on your roof. >> that's right. on our roof garden. there's about 283,000 bees. i don't know who counts them but they're all there. we make our fresh honey. we have the honey beer actually which we have had on the market for the last year. and i would give you some, but it's a little early in the morning. >> it is a little early. but it is very cool to have this honey beer. one of my favorite things at the fairmont, aside from the fabulous food and the venetian

room. >> tony was in the hotel a week or two ago and we were talking about his daughter coming in and performing new year's eve. so much history there. >> from peggy lee to duke, judy garland. there is a book about the history that you can pick up at the gift shop. i love the hotel. you do the sonoma mission inn, right? >> yes. >> they have good sushi at the san jose one. >> great sushi. >> you do a lot and you make the holidays really special. thank you so much for being here. i will see all of you at the san francisco fairmont hotel on knob hill. it's free. kids can write letters to santa. >> we try to go and answer every one of the letters. come in and write to santa. >> adults write to santa. >> actually more adults do than kid dozen. >> i wish my husband was more romantic. >> and the adults pick at the

gingerbread house as well. when it's 7 feet up, it's not the kids, it's the adults. >> tom klein is what makes san francisco hob hill so magical. happy holidays. do i have -- okay. instead -- there we go. these are some movies to see with the whole family. frozen, the book thief, reminding us how books are so important. nebraska. janu, you've got to see nebraska. gravity and all is lost. marty just saw that one with robert redford who i have seen at the fairmont. it is quite a film. all is lost. those are just a few ideas. and next episode of bubh is from the san francisco ballet. >> we have a busy weekend. >> we'll be back. >> here is the kron 4 word of the day. go to kron4.com and click on

rewards and enter the word. you can win a chance to win cool prizes.

>> we're back on kron 4 news

week end. a secret santa has brightened the holidays. $50,000 has been dropped into the red kettle. he or she wraps checks inside dollar bills so they aren't detected until the bucket is open. 900 families in the area need assistance so the money will be put to good use. >> three, two, one [cheering and applause] >> and the big national christmas tree in washington is now all lit up. president obama pushing the button. and the first lady and their daughters were there to enjoy the festivities last night in the nation's capital. hundreds of people braving the cold, wet weather to see it happen. performers including aretha franklin and mariah carey. we want to help you get in the spirit with amazing holiday lights. it brings you a look at light

displays and other celebrations. kron 4 amazing holiday lights is next friday night at 9:00 p.m. and we will be right back.

>> this is the place for news. kron 4. the bay area's news station. >> this is the bay area's news station. kron 4 news weekend starts now. >> and the top stories we're following this saturday, december 7th, a korean war veteran from palo alto held for five weeks has been released. he is set to arrive any minute now at sfo. bat kid is returning to san francisco for the first time since taking down villains in gag am sit -- in gotham city. we will tell you what he is up to this time around. snow has fallen in some area as well. we will an update on the weekend forecast couple up. thanks for joining us on kron 4 news weekend.

the korean war veteran held in north korea for more than a month is on his way home. mike is at sfo where merrill newman is expected to arrive this morning. >> reporter: i confirmed with airport officials, he is expected to arrive here any minute. now, merrill newman is 85 and from palo alto. he has been held in north korea since late october when he visited there on a private tour. authorities took him off a plane and detained him and held him for weeks. he is a korean war veteran and weeks ago he offered an apology for his actions in the war. some believe that apology was coerced. but citing the apology and his old age, they decided to deport him. on his way home, he briefly spoke to reporters at the

beijing airport. >> i'm glad to be on my way home. >> how do you feel now? >> i feel great. i feel good. >> what do you want to do first thing? >> first thing, what would you like to do. >> go home and see my wife. >> reporter: perhaps coincidentally his release comes at the same time that joe biden was visiting south korea abut the vice president insists that visit had nothing to do with his release. we hope to speak with him and bring you what he has to say coming up on the kron 4 news at 8:00 tonight. >> let's get you caught up on the top store eve the day, that of course is the weather. the strange weather we have had in the bay area over the last couple of hours. here is janu. >> we have been slammed by a cold front that passed through quickly. it is now mainly south and east

of us. tahoe is still getting a lot of snow. we got snow in the bay area as well. but you can see now storm tracker looking quiet. some spotty rain and showers as well as snow flurries in the higher elevations. it looks like the main part of the system has pushed out of our area. this is what the rainfall totals look like. .4 in san francisco. under .3 in oakland. over .1 in san jose. livermore just about .35. and you can see santa rosa got over half an inch of rain. we will take a look at when we can expect a warmup coming up in the full report. >> let's take a look at conditions there. there is candlestick on the left of your screen, just a day before the 49ers square off against the seahawks. there was snow reported in napa. but still, again, not as cold today as it has been earlier in

the week. happening this morning, the little boy known as bat kid is back in san francisco for a fundraiser for the make a wish foundation. let's take a look at the video from last month when san francisco was turned into gotham city for a day. brave the day is a 5k walk and run. there will be a cable car pulling contest. organizers hoping to raise about $75,000 today. 5-year-old miles scott is now in remission from leukemia and will lead the walk today. a lot of people, including the son of san francisco's police chief. matt's company kid monarch clothing is behind the popular gray bat kid t-shirts. he raised about $30,000 from selling the shirts. the initial goal was $5,000. all the money will go to the make a wish foundation. and the demand continues to be very high for the t-shirt. you can still get one at kid

monarch clothing in the dot- com. other news this morning, san francisco man killed in a hit and run accident thursday has been identified as 30-year- old kurt dalin. he was killed in an accident in the mission district at the corner of valencia and clinton. it happened about 2:45 thursday morning. the 30-year-old was crossing the street when he was hit. the driver responsible has not yet been tracked down. he was a graduate of the san francisco art institute. you're looking at some of his work there. one of his professors said he was a talented artist full of potential. >> the at the in asity to succeed and the independent spirit that we so value here. kurt was extremely outgoing, very eager to learn new skills and apply the skills that he had which were limited at that point as an undergrad and apply them to the art world. >> he graduated back in 2010 with a degree in painting.

police are looking for a blue or black four-door sedan with possible front end damage. a gun battle erupted in front of a hip hop concert in vallejo. the shooting was in a parking lot outside the center and it involved multiple male shooters. the victim was a 34-year-old woman. police say she likely got in the middle the fight but not the target. the concert ended early because of the shooting. the police do not have any suspects right now. 1,000 volunteers are gearing up to build bicycles for charity in san jose. it provides bikes to about 30 local charities. you're looking at the bikes from last year's event. the charities then donate the bicycles as holiday gifts for families in need. the teams are given just five hours to build 2400 bicycles.

the nonprofit organization turning wheels paid over $30,000 to buy the disassembled bikes for the volunteers to built. more than 5,000 families requested bikes for christmas this year. >> the nutcracker san francisco ballet is amazing, world class and unusual. we will have the choreographer right here to tell us about it. i love watching tv outside.

and why can you move the tv out here? the wireless receiver. i got that when i switched to u-verse. but why? because it's so much better than cable. it's got more hd channels, more dvr space. yeah, but i mean, how did you know? i researched. no, i-i told you. no. yeah! no. the important part is that you're happy now. and i got you this visor. you made a visor! yes! that i'll never wear. ohh. [ male announcer ] get u-verse tv for just $19 a month for two years with qualifying bundles. rethink possible.

>> we're back on kron 4 news weekend. south africa preparing for the arrival of many world leaders for the funeral and memorial services for nelson mandela. he died at his home at the age of 95 thursday night. thousands of mourners continue to flock to sites around the country to pay their respects to the leader of the anti- apartheid movement. president obama long with presidents george w. bush and bill clinton will be among those traveling to south africa

to honor nelson mandela. he will be buried on sunday, december 15th. in their first statements since his death, nelson mandela's family says, quote, the pillar of the mandela family is no longer with us physically but his spirit is still with us. it goes on to say, we have lost a great man, a son of the soil whose greatness in our family was in the simplicity of his nature in our midst. a caring family leader who made time for all. and on that score, we will miss him dearly. here at home, the reverend williams of san francisco's memorial church tells us about nelson mandela's legacy. >> i woventure to say that he is one of the most important world leaders, if not the one. as the leader not human concern and freedom and liberation which he espoused and made happen in his lifetime and our lifetime. >> the reverend williams was on

stage with nelson mandela at the oakland coliseum during his visit in 1990. much more ahead on kron 4 news weekend. let's take a live look outside. this is from the roof camera. we can see a bright and brilliant start to the day. and slightly warmer temperatures as well. janu has the forecast when we come

>> welcome back to kron 4 news weekend. the time is 9:15. you can see the bulk of the system that passed through the bay area yesterday meanly pushed south and east out of the area. taking a look at storm tracker 4, not much activity out there. some spotty showers and snow flurries in the higher elevations such as mount tam and mount hamilton. mainly dry conditions right now. this is the view from our mount tam cam. you can see patchy fog out

there. but also breaks of sunshine. we are expecting mainly dry conditions. it will be another cold day for the bay area. windy as well. it looks like we're not done with the cold temperatures even though the storm system has passed. we are expecting a few nights of below freezing temperatures with milder afternoons in store for us. taking a look at the temperature change from 24 hours ago. it's 11 degrees in fairfield. 8 degrees warmer in concord and livermore. 8 degrees warmer in redwood city. this is where temperatures are sitting right now. upper 30s out the door in santa rosa and napa. mid-40s along the east bayshores. and 45 degrees currently in san jose. although it's a warmer start to the day, it will still be chilly out there. only getting to 44 in santa rosa. 46 for napa. 48 degrees expected for sunnyvale and 47 degrees expected in san jose. now, as we take a look at your

7-day around the bay, it is hoag that temperatures are slightly going to warm in terms of the around highs. we have a few days of freezing temperatures close to the bay. temperatures won't bounce back until we wrap up the work week. marty. >> thank you, janu. a 19-year-old up and coming race car driver taking a unique approach to funding her racing career. do light davis is asking for support to fulfill her dream of becoming the first woman to win the indy 500. she is asking her friends to help fund it. it is called crowd funding. here is kim to tell us more about it. >> good to see you. >> basically crowd funding is when you're trying to raise small amounts of money to fund a project from people. you have sites like kick starter, cowed tilt. there are quite a few this show that it's popular right now.

>> what do you think is the secret to a successful crowd fund watch? >> have a lot of friends. >> money. >> right. >> and have a really big personality and be able to sell yourself. what are the selling points that you have that would make somebody want to invest in you? it's not necessarily that they're looking for a return on an investment. what they're looking for is to say i helped this person succeed, whether it's a musician, athlete or entertainer. it's a trend right now for people to say i don't have the money in my pocket to fund my training. i'm told i have potential. would you mind investing in my future. it's being used by students in low-income neighborhoods saying i want to go to college, i want to go to stanford, harvard. i want a chance. it doesn't level the playing field completely for everyone but at least it helps to start the process. >> one professional athlete who has made the news lately is

vernon davis of the 49ers who is doing something similar. >> he is on fan text. it allows fans to buy and sell shares of their favorite athletes. and foster is ]f>ú[íon it too. >> but he's hurt so i don't know how much he is raising. explain the thought behind this. how do you invest in a professional athletes. >> buy shares in an agent -- athlete just like you can in a company. you're not just rooting for an interest in a particular company, you're investing, you have an invested interest in a particular athlete. >> a lot of people might say wait a minute, these athletes are making millions already. >> not at that point. at that point for vernon and -- >> vernon is making good money. >> they can make more. they're making this much now. the potential for the big athletes is so much more

whether it's tv deals or broadcast deals down the road. that's what they're hoping for. that's why it's such a big risk as well. with vernon and aaron, when they get hurt, that's when they are under scrutiny right now. there's no telling what the future potential is for a sate like that and buying and selling shares in an athlete. it is something to look at. but i would think it's still fun. you have to look at it as being a fun thing that i have an invested interest? and again, you have to have the money to be willing to put into, quote/unquote, fun. >> with collette, she is starting on a funding site. she hasn't decided which one she will go with it. it doesn't launch until monday. you can invest for as little as a dollar. >> i see. >> or $10. what is cool about the sites is there is some sort of perk for every tier of investment.

if she makes her goal in funding the project, for example, with her, she has one on one coaching with her. or hot passes to indy car races. or -- those are hard to come by, by the way. also racing a lamborghini or ferrari against her maybe in the spring when there's a series that comes to town that allows people to do that. >> so there is motivation monetarily. >> exactly. >> many years ago, david bowied bowied -- david bowie did that. >> yes. i wasn't sure exactly how he did it. but i know there were people that could invest in his future. >> you could buy shares of david bowie. do you know how collette is doing. >> she has to raise $750,000 to fund her training. she got accepted into the

development program for a major, major team. can't announce exactly what team that is right now. but very, very hard to come by. she is the only woman in the world right now that is in development for the indy car series. if you remember, danica patrick has moved on to nascar. >> right. >> and go daddy is the name of her team. >> yes. >> collette is hoping to go above and beyond that rather than going with one sponsor and building her brand now at the beginning of her career. she was out with investors in silicon valley and getting them excited about her and the potential for her future. >> what a great idea. if people are interested in investing in collette, where can they go. >> when she launches on monday,

you can go on to her site. you can go to crowd funder, any of the above and you can check into fan text as well. you can do searches for film makers, musicians and different startup projects to invest in. >> what a great feeling to invest in somebody's future and say i had a small part to play in that. >> i invested in -- you can invest -- it make for an amazing christmas gift. and there's a company called selma that is making the competitor to the britta water filter. i just got the product in the mail just the other day. i heard that it's on the first lady's wish list one year late. >> there you go. that's fantastic. i can imagine a lot of niners fans are thinking i'll invest in vernon for tomorrow against the seahawks. thank you for joining us.

>> thank you. >> we'll be right back.

>> well, today marks the 72nd anniversary of pearl harbor day. it drew the united states into world war ii. roughly 2500 u.s. marines and soldiers were killed that day. there are three known survivors from that day and that includes jackson b davis, a former state center from louisiana. a very special playground being built near the water's edge in bridgeport, connecticut. volunteers are building it in honor of josephine gay. she was one of the children killed at the shooting at santee hook elementary school -- sandy hook elementary school. >> it is pink and purple. those were her favorite colors. she loved the beach and the

water, that's why we're here. >> they're building 26 playgrounds to honor one of the children killed in newtown, connecticut. still ahead on kron 4 news weekend. a palo alto man just landed at sfo after being held captive in north korea. we will have the latest for you after the break. let's take a live look outside. a chill to the day but not as cold as the recent past. we'll have the forecast coming up.

>> and our top story this morning, the state department says it's welcoming north korea's decision to release merrill newton. the north korea state agency says that the 85-year-old was allowed to leave the country after being held for more than a month. newman's plane landed at sfo just moments ago. newman, a korean war veteran apologized for alleged crimes during the war. >> i'm glad to be on my way

home. >> state department also urged north korea to release another american, kenneth bay, who has been held there for over a year. bay is a korean american missionary and tour operator. merrill's son jeff says he has had no communication with his father since he was detained until now. his family has been worried about his health and are happy to have him home. >> this is a great moment for us as a family. and it will be even better when we have a chance to be back together in a few hours. >> stay with us here on kron 4 as we continue to cover the story of merrill newman z$%e07. get the latest, log on to kron4.com and check our facebook and twitter pages. if you're on the go, make sure that you have the mobile app where you can download from the app store or google play.

we want to get you caught up on the weather. that's the other big story of the day. it has been for the past several days. here is janu arasu. >> we are still dealing with hazardous conditions in the bay area. the main part of the system that brought us the rain in the overnight hours has pushed south and east out of our area. we're still viewing a lot of snowfall in tahoe. a winter storm advisory in effect there for the next couple of hours. cold air, gusty winds, moderate snowfall. they can get anywhere from one to two feet above 7,000 feet of elevation. so certainly going to be hazardous driving conditions if you are headed up there. chains are required on highway 50 as well as i-80. bringing you back to the bay area. storm tracker 4, you can see spotty showers out there. mainly dry. we are expecting windy conditions today. and we do have another round of freezing temperatures tonight.

so freeze warning remains in effect for the entire bay area except for the city of san francisco. that will remain in effect until 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. lows dropping down to the low 30s along the coast and mid to low 20s inland. freezing conditions can be hazardous for outdoor pets, plants and pipes. so bundle up. we will take a look at when we can expect warmer conditions coming up in the full report. marty. >> thank you. the cold that we have had is uncomfortable for many of us but it can be deadly for the most vulnerable. that would be the seniors and the homeless. the cold weather is being blamed for the deaths of four homeless people. >> reporter: those without a home over their head will lining up early in the afternoon to get a spot for the night. and for good reason. in the last eight days, four homeless men in their 40s and 50s have died out in the cold, three in the last 48 hours.

>> hypothermia played a role in all of the deaths. >> reporter: three were in a homeless encampment, one in an open garage. >> it is painful and inexcusable. i'm hoping that we can not lose any more folks this weekend. >> reporter: jenny runs the cold weather shelters in santa clara county. she says the ones in san jose and sunnyvale will now be open 24 hours a day and those two plus the one in gilroy will add additional beds to serve more homeless people. >> our goal is to take 250 people at the reception center, 225 in sunnyvale and 175 in gilroy. >> and still she says it will not be enough. >> there's over 7,000 people that are homeless on any night in this community. there's no way that that will be enough. but we still interest to be sure that we ask people to come inside which is why the other outreach efforts are extremely

critical, bringing blankets, tarps, ponchos, other measures out there which is critical during this cold snap. >> reporter: typically outreach workers trying to get people into is shelters monday through friday. that will continue this weekend. they will be bringing in volunteers to reach out to the homeless so they can cover more ground. in san jose, dan kerman, kron 4 news. >> a state agency is getting involved in investigating why a bart train malfunctioned earlier this week. a bart spokesperson says that the california public utilities commission is now part of the probe on that disabled train. that train was traveling from pittsburgh bay point to san francisco on wednesday when an electrical short caused the emergency brakes to activate. the smoke from those brakes sent at least nine people in the hospital. hundreds more were stranded on the train. bart says that the cpuc gets involved whenever more than two people require medical attention after a transit incident. well, the sixth day has

come and gone with no sign of dale smith and four members of his family. it's feared that the plane went down last sunday. bad weather around the yellow pine region of idaho has forced friday's search to be suspended. the search will resume when the weather clears. a family friend has been in touch with smith's wife jane. >> she is getting increasingly discouraged as time goes on because of the weather up there. it's just been freezing nights and it's challenging to keep the hopes alive. but miracles do happen. so we're guardedly hopeful, i guess. >> dale smith is an experienced pilot who has made the trip many times. he does it to visit a daughter who is battling cancer. a statewide amber alert for a 14-year-old girl believed to have been adducted in washington state is still in effect this morning. it was issued thursday but you

won't see it on any highway signs because authorities don't have a license number for the suspect's car. 19-year-old flores is suspected of abducting elizabeth romero wednesday from washington. he was last seen driving a 2001 to 2003 hunter green ford escape with temporary washington registration. chp says the vehicle is believed to have a roof rack and custom wheels. the two may be passing through the bay area headed towards mexico. police in san francisco have arrested a man suspected of throwing two cats into the bay and killing them on black friday. eric patterson was arrested friday. he is accused of grabbing a woman's belongings near pierce 25. they included a carrier with two cats inside. patterson is accused of throwing the carrier into the bay and killing the cats. he has been booked and now facing animal cruelty charges. coming up, we will look ahead to tomorrow's big game between the niners and the

seahawks. we will have that when we come back. [son] all right,she has no idea.

[man] no one told her,right? [son]hi! [mom screams]

>> the big game between the niners and the seahawks kicks off tomorrow at candlestick park. including tomorrow's game there's only two games left at the stick. jr stone has more not only on the rivalry but what is left for candlestick. >> reporter: 49ers, seahawks. this weekend big rivalry game. and the second to last game at candlestick park. >> i don't like your team, your helmets, your stadium. >> not doing anything against us. >> i'm here all day. we [censor] >> reporter: the fans are chimeingin and as they do, ticket prices are soaring. about 300 for the cheapest seat in the house. this isn't just a game. it's history in the making. even rap star drake is chiming in. >> this is jersey drake, the official 12th man. you know what is. it is championship week.

we have to beat the niners. >> reporter: there are just 96 minutes of regular season football at home at the stick the home for the niners. they will have until may to exit their offices. demolition would likely happen in fall of 2014. soccer games, sporting events, charity runs, and even a good- bye concert could happen at the candlestick before that time but it's likely that this will be the most intense matchup left. niners versus seahawks sunday afternoon. >> we have a lot more to go. let's move. we have to work. that's what we believe in. you know the quote. who's got it better than us? >> nobody. >> reporter: jr stone, kron 4 news. >> well, police are taking extra steps to keep niner fans on their best behavior at the game tomorrow. the chief says that undercover officers will be in the crowd and wearing seahawks gear.

that game kicks off at 1:25 tomorrow and the chief says that fans should avoid confrontation with the opposing teams fans because a seattle fan could very well be a san francisco police officer. all right. straight ahead on kron 4 news weekend, time for jan. >> thank you, mary. he worked with jerome robins. hello. and he lived to tell about it. he is the artistic director of the san francisco ballet. has he ever done a great job once again with our own ballet's version of the nutcracker. come on back and we'll celebrate thomasson our and our san francisco ballet.

>> welcome back to kron 4 news weekend. the time is 9:46. we start off with this shot from the storm tracker 4. you can see spotty showers out there. but mainly dry conditions. so we are expecting men tee of sunshine later today. it will be another chilly day. also a bit windy. and we do have several freezing

nights still in store for us. so taking a look where temperatures are right now. it is a warmer start to the day compared to yesterday. so 39 degrees in santa rosa. 40 in napa. 44 here in san francisco. and mid-40s along the east bayshores. you can see temperatures not warming up too much. only getting to 44 in santa rosa. upper 40s in san francisco. mid-40s through pleasanton and livermore. taking a look at the 7-day around the bay. temperatures will gradually warm up in the work week. inland lows dropping down to the upper 20s. it looks like temperatures will gradually warm as we wrap up the work week. >> there is nothing more exciting than the san francisco ballet and especially the san francisco ballet's nutcracker. it is magic. magic. this is a world-class ballet.

it's brought to us by the director tomasson. >> you have been doing this since the '40s. >> 1944. >> the show is set in san francisco and it runs two hours. >> it's a two-hour show. that's right. >> what makes it different and magical? i have seen it so many times. i love the way that you do it. >> i think the story, it's the same as everywhere else, the nutcracker. >> right. >> but we set it in san francisco because of the pan pacific exhibition that took place here at one time. and i thought it would be ideal to have that part of it and for clara to see all that took place at that time. >> right. there's a christmas tree that gets bigger. lots of lights. wonderful costumes. once she goes into the world of the nutcracker, it is

unbelievable. suddennably the world becomes filled with snow. it's only a two-hour show. people think it's longer but it's not. it's two hours including intermission. >> that's right. >> so here is some of the great ballet artists. >> it's magical. it really is. >> nothing like it with that beautiful museib. it's so cute to see the kids all dressed up in the audience as well as on stage. >> that's right. what an amazing show. i have seen many of your productions. is this a tough one to do, more than some of the others? >> it involves a lot of big stage crew because there's big scenery to be moved around. a lot of children back stage. so it takes quite an organization to put it all together and work. >> you have such an interesting background. you're from iceland. >> born and raised in iceland. >> right. god knows there's a lot of ballet artists there, right? >> not too many. >> not too many? >> there are some. >> yes.

>> you started working there. >> i danced for 15 years as a principal dancer. >> you hear how tough he is to work for. >> no. he knew what he wanted. there was no fooling around there. but a very nice person. >> okay. so none of that cane that he used to hit people with? >> no. >> okay. and the same could be say for jerome robins. jerome robins was different. he was more strict. he could be not so easy to work for sometimes. >> uh-huh. uh-huh. >> but he had the other side too. he was a very, very nice man. >> with dancers, we hear that some of the female dancers especially became an anorexic. do you not want someone like that. >> it's not common. in a way you almost see it more in sometimes young students who

are, you know, very anxious about becoming a dancer. >> uh-huh. >> but we have at our school we have people that will help with that. we have the right places to direct them for guidance. >> uh-huh. so any kind of food issues or anything like that. >> it's not very common. >> wonderful. we were talking about fred and gene kelly and those dancers ]á that we love. what inspired you, who inspired you? >> well of course i was more in the ballet world. there were dancers like -- there was a danish dancer named eric brune that i looked up to. when i was in new york, i met noraive. >> oh, you did. >> and misha. >> oh, yes. >> so i got to know them very well and we, worked together. >> you have to have that passion. have you ever hurt yourself?

>> sure. i had a back injury at one time. >> uh-huh. >> i got over it and i went back to dancing for a long time. >> you bring us joy and magic and a world class company. >> thank you. >> it's on the stage of the opera house, folks. it's the nutcracker from the 11th to the 29th. you will never forget it. i keep going back because it's so much fun. it's in the civil center. ticket prices are between $25 and $195 depending where you want :cgweto sit. for more information visit sfballet.org. it is guaranteed to get you in the holiday spirit. you still get the snow and the magic. thank you for being here. >> thank you very much. >> and we will come back right after this.

>> we're back on kron 4 news weekend. a santa has brightened people for the holidays. for the eighth year in a row 50 thousands has been dropped into the red kettle. checks are wrapped in one dollar bills so they won't be detected until after the bucket is open. >> three, two, one. >> the national christmas tree in washington, d.c. is now all lit up. president obama pushing the button there and the first lady and their daughters invited to join the festivities last night. hundreds of people braved the cold, wet weather to see it all. performers including aretha franklin and mariah carey. we want to help get you in

the holiday spirit with another kron local special. it's called amazing holiday lights. it's a one-hour program that things you live around the bay area bringing a look at light displays and other celebrations. the amazing holiday lights is tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. right here on kron 4. >> our 7-day around the bay is showing us that although temperatures are warming up slightly, we still have many nights below freezing. a bit wn7íp÷warmer by wednesday chance of showers on thursday. >> that's going to wrap things up for us. i'm marty gonzalez. thank you for joining us to recall morning at 8:00 a.m. and kron 4 news tonight. stay warm. we will see you tomorrow.

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